| Time of year | March to October |
| Start times | 10:00am – 12:00pm |
| Course Closure | 2:00pm |
| Day of week | Sunday (occasionally Saturday) |
| Courses | Very Easy, Easy, Moderate 1 & 2, Hard 1 – 5 |
| Classes | Junior (Mens & Women) Senior (Mens & Women) Groups |
| Events | Event Calendar |
The Classic Series is primarily a Sunday-based program, mostly Long Distance orienteering format but can be Middle distance or Sprint format. Events are held from March to October at a range of venues, mainly bushland and pine forests around the ACT and nearby New South Wales. Events usually offer a range of courses from beginner to advanced and cater for different levels of fitness and navigational ability. Course lengths range typically from 2 to 12 km. At ordinary classic events, nine courses are usually offered, with classes based on junior, open and masters age groups.
Major Events
The three OACT championship events (long distance, middle distance and sprint) and any Badge events are included in the Classic Series. In addition national orienteering league events hosted by OACT may be included although these do not occur each year. These major events have pre-entry requirements, ie, entries have to be submitted by a set date, normally about two to four weeks before the event. Entry is usually done on-line with payment by credit card. At these major events, a large range of courses is offered with classes based on specific age ranges.
Choosing a suitable course
ACT League events differ from Saturday Metro, Summer Twilight and Wednesday lunchtime events in offering additional courses which are more difficult navigationally and physically. These ‘Hard’ courses are often comparable in challenge with the courses set for championship events. See choosing a suitable course.
OACT League Competition
The Classic Series forms the OACT League Competition which includes the Wehner Cup for the Orienteer of the Year Competition and the Southern Cross Inter-club Competition. For each of the individual events in the League, points are awarded to each competitor using handicapped kilometre rates rather than actual race time. First place scores 125 points, second place scores 124 points, and so on down to 25 for 101st (and lower). A 10% loading applies to events where the course is unseen and competitors receive their maps at their start times. An orienteer’s best eight scores will be counted and the person with the highest score is the Orienteer of the Year.
Upcoming Classic Series Events
| Day | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 16-Mar-25 | ACT Sprint Championships: ACT League #1, Australian National Botanic Gardens |
| Saturday | 05-Apr-25 | ACT Middle Championships: ACT League #2, NSW SL #3, TBA |
| Sunday | 06-Apr-25 | ACT Long Championships: ACT League #3, NSW SL #4, Highlands |
| Sunday | 18-May-25 | ACT Classic Series: ACT League #4, Tidbinbilla |
| Saturday | 31-May-25 | ACT Metro Series: incl. Junior League #5, ACT League #5, Jim Sawkins Handicap, Tin Hut |